Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner

Arthur Adolf, Count of Posadowsky-Wehner, Baron of Postelwitz (German: Arthur Graf^[a] von Posadowsky-Wehner Freiherr^[b] von Postelwitz, 3 June 1845 – 23 October 1932) was a German conservative statesman. He served as the secretary for the Treasury (1893–1897), secretary of the Interior, vice-chancellor of the German Empire and Prussian minister of State (1897–1907).

Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner
Posadowsky-Wehner, photographed by Nicola Perscheid before 1930
Vice-Chancellor of the German Empire
In office 1 July 1897 – 24 June 1907
Chancellor	Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Bernhard von Bülow
Preceded by	Karl Heinrich von Boetticher
Succeeded by	Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Secretary of State of the Interior
In office 1 July 1897 – 24 June 1907
Chancellor	Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst Bernhard von Bülow
Preceded by	Karl Heinrich von Boetticher
Succeeded by	Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg
Secretary of State of the Treasury
In office 1 September 1893 – 1 July 1897
Chancellor	Leo von Caprivi Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
Preceded by	Helmuth von Maltzahn
Succeeded by	Max von Thielmann
Member of the Weimar National Assembly
In office 6 February 1919 – 21 May 1920
Constituency	Merseburg
Member of the Reichstag
In office 7 February 1912 – 9 November 1918
Constituency	Minden 3
Personal details
Born	(1845-06-03)3 June 1845 Gross-Glogau, Province of Silesia, Prussia
Died	23 October 1932(1932-10-23) (aged 87) Naumburg, Province of Saxony, Prussia
Nationality	German
Political party	Free Conservative Party (1882–1918) German National People's Party (1918–1920) People's Justice Party (1928–1932)
Spouse	Elise Moeller
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Berlin University of Heidelberg University of Breslau
Occupation	Lawyer

Biography

Born to Silesian nobility, the son of a judge, Posadowsky-Wehner studied law in Berlin, Heidelberg and Breslau and earned a doctorate in law in 1867. He subsequently acquired an agricultural property, and entered politics in 1871, when he became a member of the province government in Posen. In 1882 he became a member of the Parliament of Prussia, and was appointed Landeshauptmann of Posen in 1885.

Posadowsky was a crucial figure for the election reform in 1903. He took care of a new voting technique to protect the secrecy of the ballot for the German parliament.

Posadowsky-Wehner was the candidate of the German National People's Party for the Presidency of Germany in 1919, but he lost to Friedrich Ebert. Posadowsky-Wehner would begin to distance himself from the DNVP in the aftermath of the Kapp Putsch, eventually leaving the party at the end of 1920.

Honours

He received the following orders and decorations:^[1]

• Kingdom of Prussia:
  • Knight of the Black Eagle, with Collar
  • Knight of the Wilhelm-Orden, with Collar, 27 January 1900 – on the occasion of the Emperor's birthday^[2]
  • Grand Cross of the Red Eagle, with Oak Leaves, 27 January 1902 – on the occasion of the Emperor´s birthday;^[3] with chain December 1902^[4]
  • Knight of the Crown Order, 1st Class
  • Knight of Justice of the Johanniter Order
• Duchy of Anhalt: Grand Cross of the Order of Albert the Bear
• Austria-Hungary:^[5]
  • Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1900
  • Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1906
• Baden: Grand Cross of the Zähringer Lion, 1895^[6]
• Kingdom of Bavaria:
  • Knight of St. Hubert, 1906^[7]
  • Grand Cross of the Merit Order of St. Michael
• Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (civil)
• Brunswick: Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion
• Ernestine duchies: Grand Cross of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order
• Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Merit Order of Philip the Magnanimous, 16 November 1898^[8]
• Kingdom of Italy: Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus
• Mecklenburg: Grand Cross of the Wendish Crown, with Golden Crown, 27 February 1905^[9]
• Oldenburg: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown
• Russian Empire: Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky
• Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: Grand Cross of the White Falcon
• Kingdom of Saxony: Grand Cross of the Albert Order, with Golden Star, 1894^[10]
• Württemberg:^[11]
  • Grand Cross of the Friedrich Order, 1895
  • Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown, 1905

Publications

• Über die Altersversorgung der Arbeiter (1883)
• Geschichte des schlesischen adligen Geschlechtes der Grafen Posadowsky-Wehner, Freiherren von Postelwitz (1891)
• Luxus und Sparsamkeit (1909)
• Die Wohnungsfrage als Kulturproblem (1910)
• Volk und Regierung im neuen Reich (1932)

Notes

1. Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as 'Count', not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
2. Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as 'Baron'). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.